What will NKY get from Frankfort?

With only 12 legislative days left in the General Assembly session as of Tuesday, some of the issues important to Northern Kentucky still remain alive while others appear on life support.

Not much has passed yet in Frankfort, with only 12 bills having passed both the House and Senate out of the 824 bills introduced. Most of the work, however, gets through in the final days of the session, which ends April 15.

In December, The Enquirer ran a list of priorities for Northern Kentucky in the General Assembly. Here's a breakdown of where some Northern Kentucky-centered legislation stands:

Alive and well:

Bill to address heroin problem has support from both parties but devil's in the details

A bill that increases money for mental health treatment and penalties for traffickers passed the Senate and will get a hearing sometime in the next two weeks in the House Judiciary Committee, said Chairman John Tilley, D-Hopkinsville.

Tilley said the bill enjoys wide support, though public defenders and defense attorneys have objected to some of the increased criminal penalties. The bill, introduced by Sen. Katie Stine, R-Southgate, would make high-volume traffickers who deal to someone who dies of an overdose liable for homicide. Public defender associations have expressed concern that this would shift the burden of proof to the defendant by assuming dealing heroin caused a death.

Another part of the bill would use 25 percent of the savings from the 2011 reforms that reduced the jail population to pay for more substance abuse treatment. That provision remains popular with lawmakers and faces no opposition, Tilley said. Lawmakers have estimated this could net the substance abuse treatment programs $105 million over 10 years.

"We are continuing to look at every possible way we can combat this problem," Tilley said. "The goal is to leave here in mid-April with a solid piece of legislation that can withstand constitutional scrutiny and help stem the tide of heroin abuse in Northern Kentucky and keep it from migrating any further than it has."

A $97 million Health Innovation Center at Northern Kentucky University was one of $582 million worth of university projects Gov. Steve Beshear has proposed the state issue bonds for in his version of the state budget.

The university projects made it through the House budget passed last week. It might face some opposition in the Republican-controlled Senate where leadership has voiced concerns about the amount of debt in Beshear's budget.

Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, said the fate of the projects will depend on how it affects the state's bond rating.

"I think (NKU) President (Geoffrey) Mearns and a lot of the regional university presidents have made very good cases for investing in them at this time," Thayer said. "It's just a question whether we can afford it at this time."

The community colleges in Kentucky could get a way to pay for their projects through student fees. Gateway Community and Technical College hopes to reap an additional $11 million for construction on its urban campus in Covington. Under a proposal from Beshear, Gateway and other community colleges could assess student fees for their capital projects.

The community college proposal doesn't use any state money and will face less opposition from lawmakers concerned about accruing debt.

Some have expressed concern about the burden of the fees on students. The proposed fees would be $4 per credit hour in 2015 and $8 per credit hour after that. For many students, that could make college unaffordable, said State Rep. Jim Wayne, D-Louisville.

"It's too expensive for some of these people living in poverty to try to improve themselves, so there are serious concerns about the way this is being financed," Wayne said.

On hold:

NKU still pushing funding based on outcomes

Colleges this year will likely take a hit in funding with Beshear's proposed 2.5 percent cut to their operating budgets. The House budget retained this cut, which now heads to the Senate.

NKU President Geoffrey Mearns has led the charge to change how Kentucky pays for colleges, but Mearns said he doesn't think it will get passed this year and has a better chance in the next state budget cycle of 2016. Mearns has pushed a plan that would allocate at least some of the state money for colleges based on attaining goals set by the state.

Mearns said the priority this session for NKU is getting the bonds for the Health Innovation Center.

The state currently gives each of the state's colleges a base allocation in its budget. NKU ranks last in per student state funding among the four-year institutions.

In the model proposed by Mearns, goals set by the state could be the number of bachelor's degrees graduated, degrees in certain fields, degrees for targeted groups, such as low-income students or anything else the state might decide to set for colleges.

"Presently the allocation is not based on any current rational data," Mearns said. "In other words, it's simply a historic relic."

Tolls still face heavy opposition from Northern Kentucky lawmakers. Legislators from elsewhere have said they will defer to the wishes of local legislators.

A bill that would allow for private money to pay for public projects could have led to tolling on the bridge. But Northern Kentucky lawmakers have added amendments to prohibit tolls for the Brent Spence. That bill and its amendments await a vote in the House.

Speaker of the House Greg Stumbo said he didn't see a financing plan for the bridge likely this session. That means it will be at least another two years until the next budget session in 2016.

While not completely dead, "it's at the funeral home," House Speaker Pro Tem Larry Clark, D-Louisville has said. Clark has an amendment that allows five thoroughbred racing tracks and three standalone casinos.

But Senate Republicans have said they don't have the votes to pass a casino amendment as it stands.

"I think gambling is a long shot," Thayer said.

Speaker of the House Greg Stumbo has said he has no plans on calling the bill unless the Senate shows it can pass the bill.

Much like gambling, it looks like the business community will have to wait.

The business community has put this as a top priority to compete with Ohio and attract tech jobs by enticing investors.

But Rep. Rick Rand, D-Bedford, chairman of the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee, said he doesn't plan to call the tax credit for a vote. The tax credit would cost the state $3 million annually, according to estimates by state officials. While that seems small compared to the state's $20 billion budget, it is one of dozens of tax credits being proposed. With the state's tight budget situation, it's not a good time to bring up more tax credits, Rand said.

"I've told the people from Northern Kentucky that are advocating for that I've probably got 30 bills in there on tax credits, and everybody can make a strong case that theirs' is the most important," Rand said.

If it gets done, it will be part of a larger tax reform package, Rand said. Lawmakers, however, haven't been optimistic that major tax reform will get done this session.

It's possible the tax credit might get added to another bill in the last few days of the session. That's what Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Taylor Mill, tried last year. It didn't work.

Beshear's proposed budget allocated no money for that. It did allocate money $56 million in bond revenue for the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville and $65 million in bond revenue for Rupp Arena in Lexington.

Northern Kentucky lawmakers have pointed to this as a reason why this region needs more representation in leadership. State Rep. Arnold Simpson, D-Covington, attempted to become second in command in the House by challenging Speaker Pro Tem Clark. He lost by one vote.